The Diva Cup

To Anyone Who Happens to be Male: You should stop reading. Really.

All right, ladies--have you ever heard of the Diva Cup? I really didn't think the day would come that I'd listen to Angela, Laura, and April's recommendation that I get one. But I finally bit the $30 bullet last week, and now I have a product review for y'all.

The Diva Cup is an alternative to tampons or pads. It's a silicone cup that collects, rather than absorbs, your period. You simply empty and reuse it a couple of times a day during your period, and apparently it lasts for years before you have to buy a new one (which is a good thing, because the thing seriously costs 30 bucks!). They claim that it pays for itself within a few months because of the money you save buying tampons or pads.

One of the major selling points of the Diva Cup is its environmental benefits. Disposable feminine hygiene products really take their toll in landfills, and cost a lot in natural resources (cotton, paper, cardboard, plastic, which is made from petroleum, etc.). And lately I've been concerned about the chemicals in tampons. If there's anywhere in my body that I do not want to place an item infused with chlorine or bleach, it's my vagina! What kind of impact could those chemicals have on fertility and hormones and stuff?

So the other day while grocery shopping at Open Harvest, I passed on the chocolate and decided to let the Diva Cup be my impulse buy. Even though I've been thinking about it for almost a year. While I'm glad to be doing well for the earth, and happy that I'm not chemically-infusing my body every 30 days, what really pushed me over was the financial benefit. Not spending another dime on lady-products for the next ten or twenty years is attractive to me.

Having used the Diva Cup for a couple of days now, here is my review. The first day sucks. It's messy. It's mildly uncomfortable to put in--the thing isn't very small. If you aren't used to tampons already (those took me some getting used to at first, and they're about half the width of the cup), good luck. It took some work to get it properly placed so that it would be effective and comfortable. Once it's in right, like a tampon, you don't feel a thing though.

The worst part was taking it out the first time. It hurt like hell. I have never felt such pain in that area. It was night time, and I immediately switched back to tampons and swore never to touch the darn thing again. The next morning, though, my resolve was back, solely because I didn't want to waste my hard-earned $30! And since then it's been significantly less unpleasant. Apparently my technique has improved.

I remember when I first got used to tampons, only a couple of years ago, I wondered why no one had told me that they would seriously change my life. Between Tampax and Advil, I could practically forget that I had my period. The Diva Cup, I already know, is even better. I have not had it leak even once. You don't have to change it as often as a tampon--as infrequently as once a day! There's no risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome like with tampons. There's no forgetting to bring an extra pad along because it's already inside of you. It's everything a tampon is and more. I really am happy with it.

So, the moral of the story is that I recommend that you try the Diva Cup, but don't be shy or afraid. Keep your resolve. Be persistent, practice, and maybe don't be afraid of pain at first. But it will help to save the earth, maybe save your body from the nasty chemicals, and make that time of the month even less life-consuming--while saving you money!

Doesn't get much better than that!